Tag Archives: Reds

08 Dec

stove toppings

The Colorado Rockies reportedly are getting calls about Corey Dickerson, the ex-Meridian Community College star. The left-handed hitting outfielder, 26, is a career .299 hitter and is four years from free agency. Dickerson battled injuries in 2015, hitting .304 with 10 homers in 224 at-bats. … McComb’s Jarrod Dyson of the world champion Kansas City Royals was grand marshal of the Christmas parade in his hometown over the weekend. City officials are also considering naming a street in his honor. Dyson, a .255 hitter with 146 career steals over six MLB seasons, has never been a regular with the Royals but could get that chance in right field in 2016. … Pascagoula native Joey Butler was claimed on waivers by Cleveland (from Tampa Bay). Butler, 29, hit .276 with eight homers in 88 games for the Rays last season. He joins eight other outfielders on the Indians’ 40-man roster, with two more also having received spring training invites. … Zack Cozart expects to be back at full speed by the time spring training starts for Cincinnati. The former Ole Miss star, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in June, has been rehabbing since late August. “If I had to put a number on it, I’m 90 percent now,” Cozart told mlb.com over the weekend. Cozart, a slick-fielding shortstop, was having a strong season at the plate, hitting .258 with nine homers and 28 RBIs through 58 games. … Free agent reliever Tony Sipp, the Moss Point High and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC product, is said to be seeking a 3-year contract in the $15-18 million range. The 32-year-old left-hander, who has been linked to a number of clubs, posted a 1.99 ERA for Houston last season.

09 Nov

up in arms

Cody Reed’s strong finish this past season has attracted attention. The left-hander out of Horn Lake and Northwest Mississippi Community College is ranked the No. 2 prospect in Cincinnati’s organization by Baseball America. Reed, a second-round pick by Kansas City in 2013, reached Double-A in the Royals’ system last summer before being traded to the Reds as part of the Johnny Cueto deal. He went to Double-A Pensacola of the Southern League and put up a 6-2 record with a 2.17 ERA in eight starts for a Blue Wahoos team that made the postseason. The 6-foot-5 Reed had 60 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 49 2/3 innings. Rated the No. 9 prospect by mlb.com, Reed’s big league arrival date is projected as 2018. He may get there well before that. … Wondering if Chris Stratton, the ex-Mississippi State All-American from Tupelo, might work his way into San Francisco’s rotation next spring. The 6-foot-3 right-hander, rated the No. 14 prospect in the Giants’ system by mlb.com but not yet on the 40-man roster, finished 2015 at Triple-A Sacramento, going 4-5 with a 3.86 ERA. Stratton was a first-round pick in 2012 whose pro career got off to a rocky start when he was hit in the head by a batted ball during a practice. But he may have proved himself ready for a chance at The Show last summer, and the Giants need some arms. … Jackson native Donnie Veal, in his 11th year of pro ball, is pitching in the Dominican Winter League, where he has not allowed a run in seven appearances (2 2/3 innings) for Cibaenas. Veal spent some time with Atlanta last season (14.54 ERA) and Triple-A Gwinnett (no earned runs in 16 innings) before landing in the independent Atlantic League. The left-hander had a 1.45 ERA in 20 games for Long Island. … Also in the DWL is Hattiesburg native Robert Carson, another erstwhile big leaguer who pitched in the Atlantic League (with Bridgeport) this season. Carson, a lefty, has a 4.76 ERA in eight games for Cibao.

30 Sep

whatever happened to …

Joey Butler was hitting .347 on June 13. A few days later, the Pascagoula native hit his sixth home run in just his 40th game of the season with Tampa Bay. On July 1, he broke up a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning. And, well, there are few highlights since. Butler, a 29-year-old rookie who had cups of coffee with Texas and St. Louis before this season, is still on the Rays’ roster. But his productivity and playing time have been in a slow fade. He got just eight hits in July, five in August and is 1-for-9 in September. He was even sent back to Triple-A for a time. All in all, Butler has had a good year, batting .269 with six homers, 24 RBIs and five steals in 86 games. He is said to be a great guy in the clubhouse. And the team (76-81) was 31-28 in his starts, which is something the Rays might want to remember as they plan for 2016. P.S. Former Taylorsville High star Billy Hamilton had shoulder surgery on Tuesday and now faces 4-6 weeks of rehab. Reports say he will work on “hitting and bunting” this off-season in California. In his second full season with Cincinnati, Hamilton hit .226 (.274 on-base percentage) with an MLB-best 57 stolen bases.

14 Sep

big league chew

Tony Sipp’s role with Houston might be considered a small one. But it is hardly insignificant – and he has filled it well. With his team down 3-0 on Sunday, the left-handed specialist out of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College struck out lefty-hitting Kole Calhoun of the Los Angeles Angels to start the bottom of the eighth inning. It was the only batter Sipp faced in his first appearance since Aug. 26; he had been shut down with a back ailment. Sipp then watched from the dugout as the Astros scored five runs in the ninth and beat the Angels 5-3. Houston maintained its 1.5-game lead over Texas in the American League West and pushed third-place L.A. 4.5 back. Sipp, who has been effective against righties as well as lefties, has a 2.12 ERA, 10 holds and 51 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings this season. … Chris Coghlan, the ex-Ole Miss star, had a day on Sunday, going 4-for-5 with a homer (No. 16), an RBI (No. 40) and two runs. But his Chicago Cubs fell to Philadelphia 7-4 and dropped 6.5 games back of St. Louis in the National League Central. … The Cardinals lead second-place Pittsburgh by 2.5 games but suddenly have some concerns, one of which is Lance Lynn. The Ole Miss product is 0-2 and has allowed nine runs in 8 1/3 innings in his last two starts since hurting his ankle. He is 11-10, 3.17 for the year. … St. Louis recalled former Mississippi State catcher Ed Easley over the weekend. He is still seeking his first big-league hit; he is 0-for-2. The minor league veteran hit .251 at Triple-A Memphis this season. … Taylorsville High alum Billy Hamilton got the first steal of his career against Yadier Molina back on Sept. 2, 2013, and was 10-for-10 career against the Cardinals’ Gold Glove catcher – until Sunday. Molina cut Hamilton down during the Cards’ 9-2 win against Cincinnati. Hamilton has an MLB-best 56 steals and now has been caught eight times. … Former Meridian CC and State standout Tyler Moore went 2-for-4 to climb above the Mendoza Line (at .205) as Washington won 5-0 over Miami. But the New York Mets’ wild win over Atlanta kept the Nationals 9.5 games back in the NL East. Yes, that race is over. … Southern Miss product Brian Dozier had a couple of hits in Minnesota’s 5-0 win against the Chicago White Sox, but he has had a rough go of it lately, batting just .213 with three homers and 12 RBIs in his last 30 games. The Twins, just a game back of Texas for the second AL wild card, need Dozier to heat up. He has 27 homers, 70 RBIs and 94 runs for the year.

27 Aug

time to shine

Some games in the minors simply matter more than others. Performance in those games is magnified. With first place in the Southern League South on the line Wednesday night, Cody Reed pitched like an ace for Pensacola. The Northwest Mississippi Community College product from Horn Lake threw six innings, allowing one run and punching out eight, as the Blue Wahoos topped the visiting Mississippi Braves 3-1. The Wahoos (33-26) climbed a half-game ahead of the M-Braves (32-26) in the battle for the second-half title in the SL South. “I love having that pressure of being the guy they give the ball to,” Reed said in a story on the team’s web site. Reed’s star is surely rising in the Cincinnati organization. The bespectacled, 6-foot-5 left-hander, acquired from Kansas City in the Johnny Cueto deal, is 4-2 with a 3.03 ERA in six starts for the Wahoos. He was 2-2, 3.45 at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and 5-5, 2.14 in A-ball in the Royals’ system. The lone run the M-Braves scored was knocked in by Rio Ruiz, who is finally beginning to play like the prospect Atlanta thought it was getting from Houston in the Evan Gattis trade. Ruiz has an 11-game hit streak and is batting .368 with a homer, five RBIs and six runs in his last 10 games. For the year, his first in Double-A, the lefty-hitting third baseman is at .232 with three homers and 38 RBIs. In the finale of the Pensacola series tonight, the M-Braves send Greg Ross (7-9, 3.59) to the bump. More games that matter are ahead: Mississippi comes home on Friday for a series against Biloxi, the first-half champ in the SL South.

20 Aug

smashing debut

Hunter Renfroe moved a step closer to the big leagues on Wednesday — and looked very comfortable in doing so. In his Triple-A debut, the former Mississippi State star from Crystal Springs went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs for El Paso. Playing at Memphis’ AutoZone Park, where he played some games in college, and with family and friends in the seats, Renfroe singled in his first at-bat, homered in his final AB and rapped a sac fly and a two-run double in between. “It was like I was supposed to be there,” Renfroe told milb.com. Renfroe, 23, San Diego’s first-round pick in 2013 and currently the Padres’ top prospect, was batting .259 with 14 homers and 54 RBIs at Double-A San Antonio when he got the promotion. He now has 42 bombs in 285 career minor league games. P.S. Billy Hamilton’s tough season (.226 average, .272 OBP) continued in that vein on Wednesday when Cincinnati put the ex-Taylorsville High star on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder injury. With 54 steals, Hamilton may already have wrapped up the MLB stolen base crown.

19 Aug

speed demons

Speed is good. Speed never slumps. Mississippi natives Billy Hamilton and Jarrod Dyson, two of the fastest players in the game, showed the value of speed in Tuesday night’s Kansas City-Cincinnati game, won by the Royals 3-1 in 13 innings. With the score tied 1-1 in the 11th, Reds center fielder Hamilton sprinted into right-center field and made a diving stop of a ball headed for the gap, then threw out Alcides Escobar at second base for the first out of the inning. In the 13th, the Royals’ Dyson scored the go-ahead run from first base after Reds pitcher Ryan Matheus threw Kris Medlen’s bunt down the right-field line. Hamilton also stole his MLB-leading 54th base; Dyson, not a regular for KC, got No. 23. (Hard as it is to believe, both also grounded into double plays.) P.S. There was a show of power, too. Ole Miss alumni Chris Coghlan and Seth Smith went deep, Coghlan hitting No. 14 on the year in the Chicago Cubs’ 10-8 loss to Detroit and Smith No. 10 in Seattle’s 3-2 win against Texas. Southern Miss product Brian Dozier still leads the all-Mississippi home run derby with 25, followed by ex-Mississippi State standout Mitch Moreland with 17.

14 Aug

fore for four!

There was something in the air Thursday. Maybe it was the Perseid meteor shower. Something. Two players from small towns in Mississippi had career-high four-hit games. What are the odds? In Minnesota, Amory’s Mitch Moreland banged out four hits that included his 17th home run of the season. He drove in four runs – giving him a career-high 61 for the year — as his Texas Rangers beat the Twins 10-5. In Los Angeles, Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton also went 4-for-4, scored four times and hit his fourth home run in Cincinnati’s 10-3 victory against the Dodgers. As he sprinted around the bases on the homer that easily cleared the wall in left, Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully said, “He runs out a home run like he’s afraid they’re going to change their mind.” Hamilton also swiped his 53rd bag of the year. (Note: The magic didn’t work for every Mississippi native in the majors: Tupelo’s Brian Dozier went 0-for-4 for the Twins.) P.S. Ole Miss product Lance Lynn (who was born in Indiana) suffered the worst start of his career, getting just two outs before getting pulled in the first inning of St. Louis’ game against Pittsburgh. Lynn allowed six hits and seven runs (three earned), and the Cardinals ultimately lost 10-5. “It was terrible, plain and simple,” Lynn told The Associated Press.

31 Jul

target practice

Seth Smith likes to hit at Target Field in Minnesota. On Thursday, the Ole Miss alum from Jackson belted his fourth home run in 11 career games there, a first-inning blow that gave Seattle a lead on the Twins. Of course, Brian Dozier, the ex-Southern Miss star, likes to hit at Target Field, too. He smacked his 33rd career homer there, a leadoff shot that propelled the Twins to a five-run first inning and a 9-5 victory. Dozier, the All-Star, now has 22 homers for the season (10 at home) for Minnesota, which appears headed for an American League playoff berth that no one predicted in preseason. Seattle, on the other hand, was pegged by many to win the AL West but has had a rough go of it. At 46-57, the Mariners are a distant fourth in the division. Smith, in his first season with the M’s, has played well enough: His .263 average is right at his career mark, and he’s got nine homers and 28 RBIs in 270 at-bats. Wonder if he is on the trading block? … On a small ball note: Billy Hamilton, the Taylorsville Tornado, swiped two more bases on Thursday, running his season total to 49, 16 more than the next best in baseball. He also scored three times in Cincinnati’s 15-5 win against Pittsburgh, but his runs total of 47 ranks just 68th in MLB.

26 Jul

trade winds

Cody Reed made one big move this season when he rose from A-ball to Double-A. Now he’s making another, this one from the Kansas City system to Cincinnati’s. Reed, a left-hander from Horn Lake, was one of the three pitchers the Royals sent to the Reds in their trade today for ace right-hander Johnny Cueto. The main piece for the Reds is Brandon Finnegan, a hard-throwing lefty who made a name for himself in the 2014 postseason. But Reed may prove to be much more than a throw-in. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder, a second-round draft pick in 2013 out of Northwest Mississippi Community College, is in the midst of a strong season. He went 5-5 with a save and a 2.14 ERA in 13 appearances at Class A Wilmington and earned a promotion to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he was 2-2, 3.45 in five starts. Reed may well land in Pensacola in the Southern League.